That’s because women tend to store more temporary fat in their bellies. “The fat stores are gained and lost,” says Lawrence Cheskin, MD, chair of the department of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University and director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center. “By and large, belly fat comes off easier in the sense that it comes off first. That’s where a good amount of the fat is lost from.”
If you are looking to kick start a new weight loss routine or conquer a diet plateau, try Dr. Oz's new two-week rapid weight-loss plan. By loading up on healthy food, like low-glycemic vegetables and small portions of protein, you can help curb your cravings and give your body a healthy start to the year. Plus, all of the meals can be automated and prepped, so you can drop pounds without spending a ton of time in the kitchen doing prep work. Read on to find out all the details!

About: Mindy doesn’t just blog about weight loss, it’s actually her job to help people lose weight. She’s a busy, Washington, D.C.-based one-on-one weight loss coach, and (luckily for us), spends some of her spare time blogging about it too. Her blog is great in that it clearly comes from an experienced professional, but it’s also fun to read and features Mindy’s quirky personal touch, just what the doctor ordered for people as they work to drop those extra pounds.

Ah! The difference between what you are describing and what I encourage is the concept of the occasional treat. I really mean occasional treat. That can mean different things to different people, but generally should mean that MOST of the time, one is sticking to one’s healthful diet. But even if one indulges in a weeklong all-you-can-eat cruise, one should still be able to forgive oneself and move on, pick up where they left off, or progress will not occur.
Andie is a healthy recipe developer and New York Times best-selling author. She shares some of her most delectable food ideas on her blog. She’ll tell you right up front: She believes in balancing health and happiness. And it was through that balance that she lost 135 pounds — a journey that can also be found in her memoir, “It Was Me All Along.” Visit the blog.
Because they don’t cater to one person’s weird eating habits. They provide a general guide for normal palates. If you don’t like the food, make up your own plan. Or write up a plan for other picky eaters like yourself! Sounds like with the limited amount of food you find acceptable to eat, surely you shouldn’t be overweight. And if you rely on junky snack foods in place of these perfectly healthy AND flavorful options, nobody can help you but yourself.
About: For some people, the idea of sweating it out in a gym or running for miles along the road is this side of awful. And for them, there’s Graceful Fitness, an approach that incorporates dance, yoga and deep-breathing — but also acknowledges the body’s limits and celebrates rest time. Plus, Graceful Fitness author Faith also has a unique approach to food — blending eating for health with eating for fun. It’s pretty much the peaceful way to incorporate fitness and healthy eating into your weight loss regime, and it’s all done by a young woman whose blog shows you step-by-step how to get there.
About: Dustin spent much of his life being “slightly overweight,” never obese, but enough so that he wasn’t super comfortable in his own skin. But one day he decided to start exercising — lifting weights, crossfit and similar workouts, and slowly but surely, his body began to see the results he’d hoped. His interest in food also grew. He always liked meats, but decided to expand into baking too. These days, he’s packing his blog with clever twists on recipes — always making sure they’re nutritious and delicious — as well as fitness routines and updates on his progress. He’s just the guy if you want to take it nice and easy to lose weight.
About: Blogs full of heart-felt writing and deep emotions are great, but it never hurts to toss in one with a laugh-out-loud humor to it as well. Enter Running off the Reese's blogger Cely. If her blog mantra “Because no one should have to choose between their pants and chocolate” doesn’t pull you in, her creative use of gifs and humorous style of writing will. Cely was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 18 — a diagnosis she certainly didn’t let hold her back. She runs races (usually half-marathons or less), shares her experiences, has a long list of book reviews...and talks a bit about life in general in between. And it’s awesome.

Inspired by melting potatoes, we gave the same treatment to sweet potatoes. The results? Roasted potatoes that are creamy on the inside but perfectly crisp on the outside. Adding miso to the butter mixture adds great umami flavor and helps the potatoes caramelize while baking. Don't skip lining the baking sheet or the miso-butter might burn on the pan and cause the sweet potatoes to stick.

Because you're interested in weight loss. Because you want to lose weight without handing over "3 easy payments of $19.95." Because you don't enjoy being sent from page to page of a web site only to end up at a paragraph telling you to "get your credit card ready" so you can "learn all of this and MORE in my weight loss book!" Because being constantly bombarded by hundreds of gimmicky fad diets and commercial weight loss plans gives you a headache. Yeah, I figured so. I feel exactly the same way. That's why The Lose Weight Diet is free.
It’s called a “beer belly” for a reason. Boozy bubbles are a major cause of belly bloat, as anyone who’s ever looked in the mirror after a few too many drinks can attest. But it’s not just the carbonation that is the culprit. Alcohol can lead to an overgrowth of bad bacteria in your stomach, leading to gas, not to mention all the empty calories that are going straight to your waistline. Instead, skip the alcohol altogether or limit yourself to one serving per day.

"If your diet consists of lots of sports drinks, sugar-sweetened drinks like fizzy pop and flavoured waters, or sugary foods like chocolate and cakes, it will make losing weight harder. While whole fruits and vegetables are undoubtedly good for you, they can also sometimes cause weight gain if you eat too much, as they have high levels of natural sugars in them. Low-fat food options might have high amounts of added sugar in there too, so make sure to check the food label.

Thank you for this advice! This is a great blog post. I have been struggling with personal issues that has affected my weight for 10 years and have found reaching out online to seek the advice of others has helped me through the good and bad time. I have always had issues and have started to follow the advice of Dr. Robi Ludwig. I saw her on a tv show once and I really appreciated her take on current psychological issues. I have been following her twitter for updates and advice https://twitter.com/drrobiludwig?lang=en due to following her advice I was able to sort through the personal issues and get on track with my weight loss.

This is Liz, and she started her blog way back, eight years ago, when she was just at the age of 24. Over the years, she had made quite a lot for herself, and this is the place where she documented it all. From moving to another state where she does not know anyone at all, to having her heart broken a couple of times, to finding her passion in life and completing her goals. But most importantly, she documented her struggle with losing and gaining and losing weight over and over again. In the meantime she fell in love with running and Cross Fit, so she managed to keep her weight upon her last weight loss process, and now she enjoys her body more than ever. From finding a career path which she loves to taking full pleasure in foods, especially cheese, this blog will make you realize how to make a balance in your life and be healthy, as well as how to set goals for yourself and seek them through until the end.
This becomes even more complicated when you consider the variability of the foods we eat. A piece of grass-fed beef usually has less fat by weight than the same cut from a conventionally raised cow. If it has less fat by weight, it will have more protein. For the same 8-ounce piece of meat, it would have less fat and more protein, and fewer total calories. How much less? You can’t be sure, unless you actually test the meat. But then you wouldn’t be able to eat it, so you’d need to get another cut of beef that wouldn’t be exactly the same, so you wouldn’t know the calorie value of that piece of meat either.
The most difficult part of being obese is that no matter how hard you are willing to try, your body will not allow you to do all the physical tasks that are on your mind. In these situations, what you have to do first is put yourself on a very strict and healthy diet, in order to help your body remove all the fat that is excess, and second (and this is the more difficult one) be patient. With yourself, with the people around you, and most importantly, with your body. This is what Alan is trying to do. He has truly embarked on a mission to improve his overall looks and health and regain his happiness. What he basically decided after being overweight for the most part of his life is that he has had enough and that something must be done in order for this to change. So he started working on himself. He is not holding anything back, to the contrary, he shares every struggle and thought an overweight person can have during the battle of losing weight, so this is why it may be an interesting blog for you to check out. It really shows the true side of the weight loss process.
Cortisone as an oral drug is another common culprit (e.g. Prednisolone). Cortisone often causes weight gain in the long run, especially at higher doses (e.g. more than 5 mg Prednisolone per day). Unfortunately, cortisone is often an essential medication for those who are prescribed it, but the dose should be adjusted frequently so you don’t take more than you need. Asthma inhalers and other local cortisone treatments, like creams or nose sprays, hardly affect weight.
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin) is an all-natural hormone which, when taken with a low-calorie diet, helps the body convert stored fat to energy while maintaining muscle mass. What makes us different is we only offer medical-grade HCG. This program is great for helping people who have struggled with a slowing metabolism, hormone imbalance, or menopause to lose up to 15 pounds more per month.

By making just some of the dietary cutbacks mentioned and starting some moderate exercise, this individual can easily "save" the 3,500 calories per week needed for a 1-pound weight loss, leading to a healthy rate of weight loss without extreme denial or deprivation. Furthermore, her changes in diet and lifestyle are small and gradual, modifications that she can maintain over time.

What the diet guru says: ‘Every phase of the New Atkins plan is based on proven scientific principles and is a completely safe, natural way to lose weight,’ say Akins Nutritionals Inc. ‘Phase one is about transforming your body into a fat burning machine and kickstarting your weight loss. By limiting the amount of carbs you eat to around 20g a day, your body will switch its main fuel source from carbs to fat.’
Snacking on nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds and cashews) or adding them to your breakfast or smoothies will do wonders keeping you satiated for longer. They are a super snack to eat on the go in comparison to high-carb options, as they’ll aid in the reduction of your belly fat over time. Sprinkle seeds like pumpkin or sunflower on your breakfast or salad and you’ll also be sprinkling added immune-boosting minerals like zinc, and fiber to help you stay satisfied.
“The brain is an unbelievable powerful tool of intelligence, but the problem with our brains is they deceive us into thinking that we are rational, logical and consistent and that we remember things correctly. Nothing could be further from the truth. I still don’t see all my biases. … we are really are a very flawed form of intelligence – as awesome as we are. We need to start figuring out how to improve humans at the rate we are improving our digital tools so we can evolve together.” Bryan Johnson, founder and CEO neurotech company Kernel. (Kernel develops brain interfaces that record the activity of neurons through a tiny grids of electrodes.)

About: For some people, the idea of sweating it out in a gym or running for miles along the road is this side of awful. And for them, there’s Graceful Fitness, an approach that incorporates dance, yoga and deep-breathing — but also acknowledges the body’s limits and celebrates rest time. Plus, Graceful Fitness author Faith also has a unique approach to food — blending eating for health with eating for fun. It’s pretty much the peaceful way to incorporate fitness and healthy eating into your weight loss regime, and it’s all done by a young woman whose blog shows you step-by-step how to get there.

About: If ever there were a husband-wife duo who had the chops to back up what they’re selling, it’s Hilda and Randy. And the good news? They’re not really “selling” you anything. They’re two people who care about their faith and want to use their own experiences getting healthy using a low-carb diet to help guide others to wholesome wellness, too. Randy lost more than 70 pounds and overcame Type II diabetes and hypertension, and Hilda is a survivor of the Guillan Barre Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Now, both of them are pastors who blog delicious, healthy recipes, plus insightful, impactful truths about finding health and wholesome lives. Pretty powerful stuff.
Top Quote: “I am snarky. I am cynical. I am a twin. I am overweight. I am beautiful. I am a nice girl. I am quirky. I am left handed. I am romantic. I am daring. I am a smart. I am interdependent. I am cultured. I am book smart. I am film smart. I am pop culture smart. I am not good at math. I am an English major. I am sexy. I am a clean freak. I am a perfectionist. I am just me.”

#5 – Read Labels! If you choose processed foods to eat, read your labels, not everything is bad for you, but some stuff is. I look at the calories, serving size, carbs, protein, fiber and sugar. If it’s low on protein and fiber, I don’t get it. If it’s high in fat and sodium I put it right back onto the shelf. Be a smart consumer and read those labels. If you can’t pronounce and ingrediant, it’s probably not good for you. Don’t buy something because the package says low fat or no sugar added, that doesn’t mean crap! Sugar Alcohol is still sugar!!! Not to mention if it’s low in fat, it’s high somewhere else, they need to add something to perserve and add flavor.

This individual's goal is to lose the 16 pounds she has gained. Since her weight has been gradually increasing, she knows that she is consuming more calories than she is burning, especially with her sedentary job. She decides that losing weight at a rate of 1 pound per week (equal to a deficit of about 3,500 calories, or cutting 500 calories per day) would be acceptable and would allow her to reach her goal in about four months.
Top Quote: “I am snarky. I am cynical. I am a twin. I am overweight. I am beautiful. I am a nice girl. I am quirky. I am left handed. I am romantic. I am daring. I am a smart. I am interdependent. I am cultured. I am book smart. I am film smart. I am pop culture smart. I am not good at math. I am an English major. I am sexy. I am a clean freak. I am a perfectionist. I am just me.”
What should you eat after working out? Exercise is beneficial for overall health. To get the most effective exercise, it is necessary to have good nutrition. There is a range of things to eat right after a workout that will help in specific fitness goals. It is also essential to eat to recover energy levels. Learn more about what to eat after a workout. Read now
I saw a post on pinterest for your pumpkin spice drink and started clicking around! Congratulations on your weight loss! I have just started working out regularly for the first time (just about) in my whole life. But what I’ve been learning slowly, even before I began the physical regimen, is how important it is to eat real food. Thanks to people around me who love food and their families health enough to really get informed about it, I’ve been seeing just how misinformed we are and how duped we can be by clever marketing that claims to be “healthy”. When I learned where skim milk comes from and how it’s made (and, for instance that it’s used to fatten pigs up) and that real dairy fats (in moderation) are linked to weight loss but “fat-free” items quite the opposite, I was stunned! Then I thought, of course! People were eating the real things long before heart disease and obesity ravaged our culture. When you start to learn about real nutrition instead of what we’ve been sold by industries, it can be a really great weight loss tool. And, I have to say thank you for using things like coconut milk in some of your recipes! I have a dairy intolerance and it’s nice to know that for the pumpkin spice recipe, at least, I wouldn’t have to tweak it myself!!! I look forward to reading more and trying some of your creations!

Before you start the meal plan, make a pot of the Veggie Soup. Make 2 servings of Overnight Oats, so they can soak in the fridge. It’s also super helpful to prep your veggie snacks—make 4 bags filled with baby carrots and sugar snap peas, and 3 bags filled with broccoli and cauliflower, for alternate days. And if you really want to get ahead, you could also grill the chicken breasts and cook the quinoa and brown rice in advance.

Meghann is the creator of this blog, and she has had her share with her story. She has never been nor considered herself as a fat person, because as a child and in her teenage years, she has always led an active life. But, upon graduating from college and finding a desk job, she realized that as time passed, she was more and more ashamed of her appearance. So, even if she has never been a fan of the scale, she had to get on one, and when she discovered that she was 20 pounds more than she had expected, she draw the line. Things absolutely had to change for her from that moment on. So, what she started is gaining information and learning about the experience from other people who put themselves on a diet because of weight troubles,and the blogs she read were an excellent guidance to her. This is why she herself turned to blogging. A little further down the road she reached her goal and has documented her every move since then. So, if you are seeking for a blogger that will understand your struggles, this is the site you’d like to visit!

About: Yes, it’s true Julie is not exactly a “new” blogger (she’s been doing it since 2011). But when you look at her blog, it’s easy to see why we added her here — she’s got the same caliber as the big guns, and deserves even more recognition than she’s already had. Julie decided some time back that she was going to make better decisions when it came to her health, but progress with weight loss, as she puts it, has been “S-L-O-W.” Determined and just happier with the way she feels, Julie carried on until she reached her goal weight. Today, she hovers between 150 and 170 pounds, blogging about what she eats, what inspires her and how she hopes to inspire others, too.
Notes: Chop the sweet potatoes and halve the Brussels sprouts, and place on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast at 450°F (230°C) until tender, about 15 minutes. Season the steak with salt and pepper. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 teaspoon olive oil. Cook the steak until done to your liking, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. (Consuming raw or undercooked meats may increase your risk of foodborne illness.)
How would you like to be free from the weight loss issues you’ve been having, once and for all? Well, this page will help you get there in quite a different manner. You will be free to be yourself, and happy. First of all, this blog is all about making you realize it’s not just about losing weight. You have probably already noticed that the popular weight losing programs do not work, because all they do is make you gain back all the weight you have lost. It is all about nourishment and movement. If you eat mindfully, and combine it with healthy habits, you will not only move, you will be moved. On this page, the fitness is more of a celebration than a practice. Finally, you must be able to take good care of yourself and support yourself. Not all of us can do this all the time, so this is why you will be surrounded with people who are going through the same process, meaning that you will never be alone. If you succeed in making this connection, this will be a life changing experience for you.

Monica Olivas is a holistic health coach and certified running coach. And as the blog name implies, she loves to run and eat! Running helped her shed 20 pounds, and she’s since competed in 50 half-marathons and 30 marathons. Run Eat Repeat has giveaways for runners, tips for improving distance, and all kinds of healthy, delicious recipe ideas to fuel your next run. Visit the blog.